Vending-machine.



O. L. HUTTO.

I VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR.26,1913.

1,09%,218. Patented Apr.7,191L

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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VENDING MACHINE.

AEBLIGATION FILED MAR-'26, 1913. 1&9221 8. Patented Apr. 7, 191L 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 a wvo/m 11 O L. HUTTO 0. L. HUTTO.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.26,1913.

Patented Apr. 7, 191i L92 2l8n 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

53 m uem roz,

O'L'HUTTO wi tmeoow ing slot.

osoan L. nu'r'io, or rnmon, sou'rn CAROLINA.

VENDING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. "Z, 1914.

Application filed March 26, 1913. Serial No. 757,007.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR L. HUTTO, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pelion, in the county of Lexington and State of South Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vending-Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the ac companying drawings.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements, in vending machines and more especially to that class adapted for the purpose of dispensing bottled beverages.

An object of this invention is the provision of a vending machine which contains means for keeping the contents thereof cooled.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a vending machine in which are disposed bottling supporting racks, and coin controlled means for discharging the contents of the racks, each of said means being independently operative so that only the contents of one rack will be discharged upon the depositing of one coin in the machine.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a vending machine such as described, which will be simple and inexpensive to manufacture, reliable and efficient in use and readily operated.

With the above and other objects in view, this invention resides in the novel features of construction, formations, combinations and arrangements of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved vending machine; Fig. 2 is a side view thereof; Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view thereof; Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the operating springs; Fig. 5

is a longitudinal sectional view of my inven-( tion, with the upper ,and lower portion of the vending machine'broken away; Fig. 6 is a detail sectional View illustrating the coin controlled actuating mechanism; and Fig.

.is a rear elevation ofthemechanism shown in Fig. 6. .Flg. 8 is a vertical sectional v1ew' illustrating'a modified form of coin receiv- Referring to the accompanying drawings 7 [by similar characters of reference throughout the several views,the numeral 10 designates in general my improved vendingmachine Wl11Cl1 conslsts of a base 11 comprising opposite side walls 12 connected by a bottom 13, and front and rear walls 14 and 15.

The front wall 14 is provided with a door 16, by means of which access can be had to the interior of the base 11 which is equipped with supporting racks 17 for receiving ice for the purpose of cooling the contents of the vending machine. The vending machine proper is disposed upon the base 11 and consists .of a housing 18 comprising opposite side walls 19, a rear wall 20 and a front wall 21, the said side walls 19. and rear wall 20 being connected at their lower edges by a bottom 22, which rests upon the upper edges of the walls of the base 11. This bot- 7 tom 22 is provided with openings 23 for permitting the cool air to pass from the base 11 upwardly into the housing 18.

A forwardly extending shelf 24 is secured to the front wall 21 and rests at its opposite ends upon the forward extensions 25 of the side walls 19, which produces a receiving compartment 26in which is mounted a receiving trough 27. The rear edge of this trough 27 is formed with a vertical extension 28, the upper ends of which are formed with concaved flanges 29 for receiving the lower bottles 30, which aresupported by the removable racks 31. These racks 31 are arranged in pairs and each pair consists of spaced bars 32 formed with channels 33 for engaging the opposite ends of the side bottles 30 and slidably supporting the same. A rotatable shaft 34' is journaled longitudinally of the housing 18 in the rear of the gagement with the lowermost of the bottles 30. Each {of the springs 37 terminate .in

fingers 39, which are of a width equal to the distance between each pair of fingers 35, and are arranged to contact with the forward side of the. shaft; 30 between these said fingers. The forward side21 of the housing 18 is provided with a plurality of slots 41, equal in vnumber to the number of racks 33 contained therein and from each of these slots extends a chute 42, which is curved around the rear sides of the-racks so that its lower end will be disposed longitudinally of the housing above the fingers 35 and between these said fingers and the springs 37 so that when a coin is dropped in'each of the slots 41, the same will be deposited in the notches 36 between the fingers 35 and 39 in such a manner that the forward side of each coin engages the rear side of each finger 39 and the rear side of each coin engages the forward sides of the fingers 35.

Obviously upon the rotation of the shaft 34 by means of the crank 43, the coin will force the finger 39 forwardly, consequently causing the bowed portion 38' of the spring 37 to force the lowermost bottle from the 'flange 29 into the trough 27 from whence it will be directed from the forward edge of said trough from which it can be removed by the operator. It should be understood in this connection that various minor changes in the specific details of construction can be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from or sacrificing any of the advantages ofthe invention. It should be further understood that I am not to be limited to the vending machine for use in connection with bottles only, but may of the housing 18 can e inspected and by employ the same forany purposes to which the various parts of the said machine will adapt themselves. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which this machine pertains that owing to the arrangement of the fingers and the chutes 42, only one bottle will be'vended at a time unless one or more coins are placed in the. above slots, and the bottles vended will be only the ones desired by the operator.

The coins, after passing from'between the fingers 3-5 and 39 drop into a drawer 46 which can be. removed through the door 47 provided in the rear wall 20 of the housing 18, which is inaccessible throu h the previously described doors 16. The ront wall 12 of this housing is further provided with glass channels 48 throu h which the interior means of which'the number of bottles contained within the racks can be ascertained. The shaft 34 is held in its normal position with the fingers 35- extended substantially vertical by means of a spring 49, which is secured to the said shaft and to the rear of the housing 11.

In Fig. 8, I have illustrated a slightly modified form of the coin receiving slot. In this form, I have provided the upper end of the chute 42 with a horizontal portion 49, said horizontal portion being provided with the upwardly projecting member 50. which communicates with the horizontal. portion 49' and is adapted to receive the coins. In the modified form herein shown, the front of the horizontal portion 49' and the upward extension 50 is covered with asuitable transparent material, which will prevent the playing of the slugs in the machine. It Wlll be apparent that the horizontal portion 49 is of sufficient length.that two coins may rest therein before-passing into the chute '42. In the operation of my lmproved form of coin receiving slot, two coins will have to be inserted within the opening in the uprlght 50 before the machine will start to operate, a

third coin being inserted and pressed agamst the first two coins by means of the spring pressed plunger 51, the first coin inserted therein passing down through the chute 42 to actuate the mechanism within the casing. .From this it will be seen that my modified form will prevent the playing of-slugs within the slot. It will be apparent that the last coin played within the machine will be visible by the owner of the machine so that he may prevent any fraudulent operation.

Having thus fully described this invention, what I desire to claim as new and protect by Letters Patent is 1'. In a vending machine, a housing, a plurality of supporting racks arranged therein, a plurality of operating springs arranged in the housing in connection with said racks, fingers formed on said springs, a rotatable shaft in said housing, a plurality of fingers carried on said shaft for cooperationwith the fingers of said springs, and means also formed on said springs for cooperation with the contents of the racks in vending the same at predetermined times.

2. In a vending machine, the combination with a housing of racks contained within the housing, a support disposed below each rack, springs secured within the housing in the rear of each support, a finger formed upon each spring, a rotatable shaft, fingers formed upon the shaft to cooperate with the fingers upon the springs, as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a vending machine such as described,

whereby the aforesaid fingers may be actu- "ated to vend the articles contained in the housing.

4. In a vendlng machine such as described, the combination with a housing, a trough disposed within thev housing, extensions formed upon the trough, concaved flanges formed upon the extensions, racks disposed above the concaved flanges, springs secured within the housing, said springs being bowed toward the concaved fianges, fingers depending from the bowed portions of the springs, a rotar shaft, fingersformed upon In testimony whereof I hereunto aifix my the rotary sha land arranged in pairs to signature in the presence of two witnesses. cooperate with t e fingers of the s rings,

and means whereby the aforesaid fingers OSCAR H and parts connected therewith may be actu- Witnesses:

ated to vend articles contained in said hous- J. J. SHEALY, ing. W. M. SKIsEL; 

